Apparatus for reducing ores



(No ModelJ V hem-sheen 1.

J. BUJAG.

APPARATUS FOR REDUCING ORES. No. 249.221. Patented Nov. 8,1881.

N. PETERS. PholuLiihognpher. Wnhington. 0.6.

I M el-) 4 Sheets--Sheet 2. J. BUJAG. APPARATUS FOR REDUGINGAORES. No.249,221. Patented Nov. 8,1881.

N PETERS, Phnin ulhngnphlr. Wafllinglnn. D. C.

(No Model.) I 4 Sheets-Sheet s. 8

'J; BUJAC.

APPARATUS FOR REDUOING ORE'S. No 249,221. 8 Patented Nov. 8,1881,

(No Model.) Agnew-sheet 4.

J. BUJAO. A APPARATUS FOR REDUCING 01138.

Patented Nov. 8, 1881.

Jami

ETERS. Pholv-hthogmphar. Wnhingiflm D, C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES BUJAC, OF CATONSVILLE, :MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAMW. EATON, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

APPARATUS FOR REDUCING ORES.

SPECIFIQATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,221, datedNovemberS, 1881 Application filed February 21, 1881. (No model.)

To all uihom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES BUJAG, a citizen of the United States,residing atUatonsville,

in the county of Baltimoreand State of Mary land, have inventedImprovements in Apparatus for Reducing Ores.

In Letters Patent No. 234,170, granted 9th November, 1880, to myself andWilliam W. Eaton, assignee in part, I have described an ore furnace and'reducer consisting of one or more hydrocarbon-retorts and a closedore-cylinder with suitable valves, connections, doors, and heatingappliances, so that ore placed in the cylinder may be kept fromatmospheric contact and heated'toa high temperature, and hydrocarbongases evolved within the retort or retorts may be taken in their nascentstate directly into the said ore-cylinder and passed through the samefor the purpose of reducing theyores contained therein. I have, however,found that, except with the most skillful manipulationiand underfavorable atmospheric conditions, the hydrocarbon gases produced andapplied as above set forth sometimes fail of their full effect or areonly partially efficient in the reduction of ores byreason of theirhaving been imperfectly evolved or having undergone some deleteriouschange in passing from the retort to the ore cylinder or from othercauses. 1

The subject of my present invention is an apparatus which is so farautomatic in its operation as to obviate the necessity for verygreatskill in its manipulation, and effects a thorough and completedeoxidationand reduction of ores-on the same general principles as theapparatus described in the patent above referred to.

Myimproved apparatus consists, essentially, of one or more retorts forthe distillation of hydrocarbons, a digester consisting of an oven orheated chamber containing carbon, through Whichthe gases areconductedfrom the retort or retorts, a superheater consisting of a furnace, andone or more coils or pipes through which the gases are then conducted,and a closed cylinder adapted to contain ore and exclude the atmosphere,and valve-guarded connections by means of which a continuous current ofthe digested and. superheated hydrocarbon gases may be passed throughthe closed cylinder and the contained ore.

In order that my improved apparatus may be fully understood, I willproceed to describe it with reference'to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a front view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a front Viewof the superheater with the doors open. Fig. 3 is a verticallongitudinal section of the supcrheater. Fig.4 is a verticallongitudinal section of the ore-cylinder and its furnace.

In Fig. 1, A A A represent a bank or set of retorts, which may beofusual construction, fitted with suitable doors and heated by a furnace,B.

C C are branch pipes leading from the retorts A to a commonconducting-pipe,D,which is furnished with a cock,E,and communicates withthe digesting-chamber F, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, which is itself in the formof a retort, and has connected with it a pipe, G, formed, as shown inFigs. 2 and 3, with a large number of convolutions or coils, so disposedas to produce flues H H H at bottom, front, and top, so as to cause theproducts of combustion from the furnace I, by which the digester F andsuperheating-coil G are heated,to pass back and forth in contact withthe said coil on their way to the discharge-stack J. From the end of thecoil the pipe is extended outward, as shown at or construction is shownin the present illus-' tration, in which M represents a central'flueextending through the cylinder; N, a hopper communicating with the rearend of the cylinder by a vertical pipe, P, and closed by a cover, Q; R,an annular door adapted to close the front of the annular ore-space ofthe cylinder, while permitting the passage of the products ofcombustion, as indicated by the arrows; and S, an external bonnet, whichcovers the anmr lar doors R and connects the flue M with the upper flue,T, from which latter the products of combustion pass to thedischarge-stack U,

I as shown.

V represents a pipe for conducting the gases from the interior of theore-cylinder downward into a tank, W, which contains water at asufficient height to maintain the required pressure of gas within thecylinder, and is provided with an exit-pipe, X, and cocks Y Y Y atdifferentheights,forregulatingthcheightot'water in the said tank.

In operation, the cylinder K is charged with ore through the hopper N,the pipe 1? is closed by the doors R and Q, and, together with itscontained ore, thoroughly heated by its furnace L, The retorts A arecharged with any suitable hydrocarbon material, which is distilledtherein, and the resulting gas is conveyed off through the pipes G G andD into the digester, which latter has been charged with cokeor othercarbon, and is heated toreduess by the furnace I. The effect of this isto'completely evolve the hydrogen and carbon from any aqueous or solidparticles carried over from the retorts, the oxygen being seized by theincandescent carbon in the digester and the hydrogen set free. The pureand nascent hydrocarbon gases are then conducted from the digesterthrough the convoluted pipes G G, where they are heated to a stillgreater degree, and, being now fully evolved and heated, and thus intheir most effective condition, they are delivered, through the pipe G,into one end of the orecylinder K, so as to pass completely through andin intimate contact with the heated ore therein, after which it isconducted out through the submerged discharge-pipe V, tank W, andexit-pipe X. A continuous current of the nascent and thoroughly evolvedand heated gas is thus passed through the heated ore in the closedcylinder, the passage of the gases being properly graduated by thecooks, and the pressure within the ore-cylinder regulated by the heightof water in the tank W, as already explained. The pressure from thegenerator AB and the gases evolved from the ore in ust always exceedthat in the discharge-tank-W, so that a constant current of gas will bemaintained.

By means of this combined apparatus I am enabled to effect an entire andcomplete reduction of ores without the use of crushers or stamps, andthe apparatus is so nearly automatic in its operation that it does notrequire the care of a highly-skilled operator, but may be successfullyused and manipulated by any person of ordinary intelligence.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

The combination of the hydrocarbon retort or retorts, superheater G,digester F, and closed cylinder K, as and for the purposes set forth. I

JAMES BUJAC.

Witnesses ALFRED BUJAC, OcTAVIUs KNIGHT.

